Russian Palace

Nearly ten years after the completion of 'de Spaanse Kade' and 'Blaakoverbouwing' in Rotterdam, Herman de Waal, director of construction firm Wilma, requested Blom to design his private house. Blom longed for assignments- over the last couple of years not one of his concepts having been realized- and immediately grabbed this opportunity. Blom was inspired by Irkutsk's buildings, the town where Herman de Waal's wife, Yennah Prusha was born. He designed a true palace (a Russian Palace, or in Dutch: Russisch Paleisje) for Yennah, standing out because of the four onion roofs piercing through the aluminum roof of the castle. The fronts were covered with an outstanding motif and stuck in between soft greenish covered window frames. Blom: "This is daring. Try to invent anything this ordinary."